


Five Raktajinos

by cosmic_llin



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: 5 Things, Coffee, F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 11:03:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6655420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘What’s raktajino?’ Major Kira asks.</p><p>‘It’s Klingon coffee,’ says Jadzia.</p><p>‘... what’s coffee?’</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Raktajinos

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be femslashier but it didn't come out that way, but it doesn't say anywhere that they're NOT girlfriends...

‘What’s raktajino?’ Major Kira asks.

‘It’s Klingon coffee,’ says Jadzia.

‘... what’s coffee?’

It’s only been a few days, but Jadzia’s attempt to make friends with the only other woman on the senior staff is going slowly. Major Kira is prickly and always busy. But she did agree to Jadzia’s suggestion that they meet on the Promenade and walk to Ops together. Now they’re stopping at the replimat on the way.

‘It’s a hot beverage, containing a mild stimulant,’ Jadzia says. ‘It tastes bitter, but people sweeten it and add milk. Real coffee comes from Earth, but raktajino is a Klingon variation. I mean, it uses ingredients found on the Klingon homeworld. It’s kind of a gentler version of a popular Klingon stimulant. You couldn’t give the real thing to these Starfleet kids, they’d end up in orbit.’

Major Kira rolls her eyes at “these Starfleet kids” and Jadzia grins, acknowledging the absurdity.

‘It’s pretty strong,’ she continues, ‘so if you haven’t had coffee before, maybe you should start with something like a latte…’

Major Kira frowns. ‘Are you implying I couldn’t handle it?’

Jadzia shakes her head. ‘No, no, I think you should just work your way up gradually… try something with lots of cream and sugar maybe…’

‘Gimme a raktajino,’ Major Kira says to the replicator, which obliges.

Jadzia shrugs. Her funeral. She orders her own raktajino and they walk together. Major Kira sips cautiously, then enthusiastically.

‘I like this,’ she says. ‘It has a nice flavour.’

‘You do?’ Jadzia asks, not quite concealing her disappointment.

‘Yeah,’ says Major Kira. ‘It tastes a lot like a liquid version of a snack we used to make in the resistance. Don’t look so sad, you’ll get your entertainment - if Doctor Bashir keeps annoying me I plan to introduce him to a Bajoran dish called hasperat. You’ll want to come watch.’

Jadzia laughs.

‘Your last host spent a lot of time with Klingons, didn’t he?’ Major Kira asks. ‘Is that where you started drinking this stuff?’

‘He did,’ says Jadzia, ‘but that’s not where I got into it - even though Curzon did always claim he was the one who invented raktajino. I used to drink it before I was joined, it was the only way I could keep myself awake during my all-night study sessions.’

‘Huh,’ says Major Kira. ‘It doesn’t seem to be having that much of an effect on me yet.’

By the time they get in the turbolift, she’s bouncing a little on the balls of her feet, and she practically runs into Ops. Jadzia just smiles to herself.

 

* * *

 

‘Prophets bless you,’ Nerys says, when Jadzia hands her the mug on the way into the turbolift. ‘They didn’t have raktajino at the monastery. This is the first one I’ve had in days.’

‘Welcome back,’ Jadzia smiles.

‘It’s good to be back,’ Nerys admits. ‘Who’d have thought I’d miss this place?’

‘Well, we certainly missed you,’ says Jadzia.

They reach Ops. Nerys goes to her console to check her messages. There are 2182 of them.

She drinks the raktajino down in one go.

‘Right,’ she says. ‘Let’s get to work.’

 

* * *

 

Jadzia’s in her quarters recovering from her rejoining, after Verad is gone. She’s curled up on the couch, lost in thought, doesn’t even hear the chime until the third time.

‘I brought you your favourite,’ Nerys says, when she finally lets her in.

Jadzia sits up a little, takes the mug. ‘I’m not really supposed to for a few more days,’ she says. ‘Julian told me to avoid stimulants. But I’m going to drink it anyway.’

‘Is that a good idea?’ Nerys asks.

Jadzia shrugs. ‘Maybe not. But I want to feel like myself. I feel like there are bits of Verad all over me. I want to feel like Jadzia.’

She takes a long sip of the raktajino, and sighs.

‘What else makes you feel like Jadzia?’ Nerys asks. ‘Anything I can bring you?’

Jadzia thinks about it for a moment. ‘Not exactly _bring_ ,’ she says, ‘but could you do me a favour?’

‘Anything,’ Nerys says.

‘Go to Benjamin’s quarters while he’s not there, and turn all the artwork on his walls upside down?’

‘Uhhh…’

‘Relax, I’m kidding! Just seeing the look on your face helped. Don’t worry.’

Nerys lets out a relieved breath. ‘That’s good…’

‘I’ll get Jake to do it instead.’

 

* * *

 

The morning every replicator on the station breaks down simultaneously, Nerys finds Jadzia sitting cross-legged on the floor in the kitchen of the Klingon restaurant, trying to make raktajino from scratch. And swearing.

‘I thought I could do it myself,’ she says. ‘But I think I’m going to have to wake Kaga. He’s not going to be happy. There was a party in here last night, he didn’t get off until 0300.’

‘Jadzia…’ says Nerys. ‘Don’t you think you could manage one morning without raktajino?’

‘Sure I could,’ says Jadzia. ‘This isn’t for me, it’s for the chief. Without the replicators he can’t get his usual blend, and I don’t think anything else but raktajino will cut it on a day like today.’

‘You have a point,’ says Nerys. ‘Let’s go wake Kaga.’

 

* * *

 

Nerys is waiting for Jadzia, the first morning after they retake the station. She hands her the mug. Jadzia takes it, inhales deeply, smiles.

‘The replicator on the Defiant never quite gets it right,’ she says. ‘I missed you, Nerys.’

‘I missed you too,’ Nerys says. ‘I’m so glad you’re back.’

Jadzia takes her hand and squeezes it. ‘This is going to be a long briefing,’ she says. ‘Lots to catch up on. Lots of work to do. We need to get this poor station back in shape. We need to figure out how to fight the Dominion. We need to…’

‘We’ll do it,’ says Nerys. ‘We’ll do it all. Finish your raktajino first. There’s time.’

 


End file.
